10/20 Links: To whom does the land of Israel belong?; Why America can't escape the Middle East; Caroline Glick: Netanyahu, the media and the fate of Israeli democracy ~ EoZ

From Ian:

The League of Nations 1923 “Any attempt to negate the Jewish People’s right to Palestine, Eretz-Israel, and to deny them access and control in the area designated for the Jewish People by the League of Nations is a serious infringement of international law. The Origin and Nature of the “Mandate for Palestine”

The entire point of this written exercise is to arm the Jewish People of Eretz Israel with Biblical, Historic and Legal facts, in order to combat the lies of their enemies. An enemy who have illegally migrated, and invaded into the Jewish State of Eretz Israel.

By constantly attacking and criticizing Israel, the West has emboldened Islamitic terrorists to attack even the Western nations within their own boarders. Since the Western World is in need of leaders, these nations take the cowardly way out, they try to appease their violent Islamitic enemy, by blaming Israel for their unwillingness to make peace. When at every step Israel is trying to move forward, they are met with murder, terrorism, lies and deceit, and a very frightened and useless Western World.

IT IS ALL ONE BIG LIE

Vladimir Lenin – “ A lie told often enough becomes the truth.”

Joseph Goebbels – “ If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually believe it.”

Hitler – “ If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”

Isa Blagden writer, – “If a lie is only printed often enough it becomes a quasi-truth and if such a truth is repeated often enough, it becomes an article, of belief, a dogma and men will die for it.(The Crown of Life,1869 )

Lying is a weapon of choice, used Against the Jewish people of Eretz Israel

The same lying sinister forces were at work against the Jewish people in the past. They were actively at work in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah 2,500 years ago when the Jewish remnants returned from the Persian Empire, to rebuild and resettle Jerusalem and the Jewish territories.

These ungodly lying forces are alive and well today working through Arab leaders both inside and outside of Israel. Deceit and Lying are a major strategy used by the Islamic Jihadists who wish to destroy the Israel of today. They are aided by the “politically correctness” of the Left Wing Western World, which is another way of saying, they are Anti-G-d, Anti-Semitic, and Anti- Judaeo Christian Ethics

Jonathan S. Tobin: Why America can't escape the Middle East

As Obama discovered after his withdrawal from Iraq and humiliating "red line" fiasco in Syria, the price of dishonor can be quite high.

Having washed his hands of those countries and punted their fate to Iran and Russia, it wasn't long before a new threat arose. The establishment of IS and its so-called caliphate in large portions of Syria and Iraq was the logical consequence of Obama's policies. As that terror group expanded the territory under its control, and videos of the hideous atrocities it committed went viral, Obama had little choice but to reverse course and commit to fighting IS.

Trump made an issue of the failure of Obama's half-hearted campaign against the Islamic State and vowed to defeat the group. And that's exactly what he did after winning the 2016 election. But with IS largely, but not completely defeated, he has now reverted to his instinctual isolationism, vowing to avoid any more involvement in Syria and leaving the Kurds to their own devices after years of promises from Washington that they would not be abandoned.

Some Americans outside the Beltway, including some supporters of Israel, have no problem with what he's done in Syria because they are blind supporters of the president. Others share his ignorance of a complex conflict and see no reason why Americans should be part of it.

As Obama found out after the atrocities perpetrated by the Islamic State aroused the anger of the public, Trump or his successor will have to respond to Turkish atrocities or those of the next Islamist terror group that will fill the vacuum he is creating by withdrawing US forces.

Islamist terror is an international problem, and not just something the Israelis and the Arabs have to worry about. Israel can defend itself, but actions that make its neighborhood even more dangerous undermine its security. Beyond that, allowing Turkey and Iran to do as they like in the region ultimately harms everyone, including Americans who have yet to absorb the fact that their safety is no longer ensured by the oceans that separate them from other continents. Unfortunately, Republicans and Democrats who still imagine Americans can simply go home and avoid further involvement in the Middle East's wars are engaging in magical thinking rather than supporting a coherent strategy.

In latest sign of thaw, Israel sending official to anti-Iran summit in Bahrain

A senior official is confirmed to attend a security conference in Bahrain on Monday, a source in the Gulf country told The Times of Israel, in the latest significant sign of warming ties between parts of the Arab world and Israel.

A senior Foreign Ministry official working on regional security and counter-terrorism, whose name was withheld by Israel’s military censor for security reasons, will represent Israel at the Working Group on Maritime and Aviation Security.

Starting Monday, the two-day event is expected to deal mainly with efforts to thwart the Islamic Republic’s growing regional aggression. Delegates are set to discuss the protection of vessels in the Persian Gulf from Iranian attacks, as well as the prevention of the smuggling of weapons and weapons of mass destruction and the protection of civil aviation.

The meeting, co-hosted by Bahrain, the US and Poland, is part of the so-called Warsaw Process, which started with the Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East that took place in the Polish capital earlier this year. That conference, co-sponsored by Poland and the US, was originally billed as part of global efforts to counter Iran, but was later toned-down and instead focused on the vaguer goal of seeking stability in the Middle East.

The Foreign Ministry did not deny that it was sending a representative to Manama for the conference on maritime and aviation security. In a terse statement sent to The Times of Israel, the ministry said: “Israel participates in the post-Warsaw process.”

Caroline B. Glick: Netanyahu, the media and the fate of Israeli democracy

The ongoing criminal probes against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are reaching their climax. After conducting a marathon four-day pre-indictment hearing for Netanyahu earlier this month, Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit reportedly intends to complete his review of the state prosecution’s cases and decide whether to indict Israel’s longest-serving prime minister by the end of next month. The main charges against Netanyahu relate to his associations with media owners.

For three years, illegal leaks from the investigations have dominated the news. The key question – indeed, just about the only question – that has been endlessly discussed is whether or not Mendelblit will end Netanyahu’s political career by indicting him on corruption charges.

The importance of this question is self-evident. On the one hand, we have a democratically elected leader. On the other hand, we have unelected state prosecutors who wish to oust him from power by indicting him.

For nearly a year, Israeli politics have been in a state of chaos because of the criminal probes. The probes played a central role in the April Knesset elections and arguably were the primary reason that Netanyahu failed to form a coalition despite his electoral victory. Today the probes and Mendelblit’s deliberations are the primary reason that no one can form a government in the wake of last month’s repeat elections. If Israel holds a third election in the coming months, the probes will again be the central issue determining both the result and the ability of whoever wins to form a government. The center-left Blue and White party is using the probes as an excuse to refuse to join a coalition government with Netanyahu.

While the probes’ impact on Netanyahu’s political future is a key question, and on the composition of the next government is certainly a big deal, neither of these issues is the central matter than hangs in the balance as Mendelblit holds his deliberations.

If Israel’s attorney general relies on these probes as a means to end Netanyahu’s career, he will do far more than overthrow a political leader. He will embrace a legal doctrine that rejects the very essence of democracy.

JPost Editorial: Do what’s right

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has until Thursday before the mandate he was given last month to form a coalition needs to be returned to President Reuven Rivlin. With the few days left – including tomorrow, which is Simhat Torah – Netanyahu needs to do everything possible to succeed and that includes, first and foremost, ridding himself of his right-wing bloc.

After the election on September 17, Netanyahu recognized that with Likud one seat shy of Blue and White there was a greater chance that Benny Gantz would be tasked with forming the next coalition. In addition, in the event that the only option would be a unity government, Gantz, with that extra seat, would be able to lay claim to serving as prime minister first, something Netanyahu could not allow.

The order of who serves first in the event of a rotation is not set in law and is based on the outcome of the negotiations between the different sides. Nevertheless, it does have a precedent. In 1984, after national elections, there was political deadlock. Labor won 44 seats and Likud won 41. Left with no choice but a unity government, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir agreed to split the premiership. Peres, who had more seats, went first. Shamir, who had three fewer, went second.

Based on that precedent, Gantz has a legitimate argument to make that the largest party is the victor and therefore its leader should serve – in a unity government – as the first prime minister. To prevent that from happening, immediately after the election Netanyahu aligned himself with Yamina and the haredi Shas and UTJ parties, asking their leaders to sign letters of allegiance to him that they would stick by Likud no matter what.

Bennett calls on Right to rally behind Netanyahu

Bennett added that "Netanyahu may not be perfect, but he has been a very good prime minister for Israel and its security and has been persecuted and demonized from day one by the leftists in the media and academia."

According to Bennett, "because Netanyahu is now at his most difficult moment, I have decided to help as much as I can."

The Sept. 17 election ended with a hung parliament, with neither Likud or Blue and White getting enough seats to form a government with its ideological allies.

The only realistic option is to form a unity government under some kind of power-sharing arrangement, but so far negotiations have stalled because Blue and White has been unwilling to have Netanyahu serve as prime minister for the next two years, citing his potential indictment in the three corruption cases.

Netanyahu was tapped by President Reuven Rivlin to form a government and he has until Wednesday to do so. But Netanyahu is unlikely to be able to swear in a government and win a confidence vote on time, meaning that Rivlin will likely tap Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz to do so.

If Gantz fails, and no MK garners the signatures of 61 lawmakers within 21 days, Israel would have to hold another election.

David Singer: Vote Recount Could Possibly End Israel’s Electoral Morass

President Trump – like bemused Israeli voters – is frustrated by an electoral system that has failed to produce a new Government following elections in April and September.

After April’s fiasco – Trump opined:
“Well, it’s too bad what happened in Israel. It looked like a total win for Netanyahu, who’s a great guy, he’s a great guy,” said the president. “And now they’re back… in the election stage. That is too bad. Because they don’t need this. I mean they’ve got enough turmoil over there, it’s a tough place.”

That turmoil continued in September and could be repeated following any third election.

Trump’s deal of the century – years in the making and designed to end the 100 years Jewish-Arab conflict – will not be released until a new Israeli Government has been formed.

Liberman’s failure to sign up his 8 seats with the 55 seats aligned with Netanyahu continues to confound the democratic electoral process – when a party not securing a majority of seats in its own right can usually form a Government with a small party’s support – in return for granting that small party some of its political demands.

A full recount of the votes cast in the September 17 elections – if still legally available – could be just the miracle Israel needs to get out of its current predicament.

Clutching at straws maybe – but certainly well worth pursuing.

When the Dust Settles in Syria…

To speak about Kurds has suddenly become a cry in favor of human rights and self-determination by the Western press, and rightly so: The assault they are suffering is lethal and may become genocidal. More frightening is that it is being perpetrated by the Turks, who are already stained by the Armenian genocide and led by a leader who considers himself an almighty sultan. And it’s really odd that Europe is only now discovering who he really is.

How can this be? Didn’t Europe know that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during these last 16 years in power has been possessed by a vicious fundamentalist Islamic and imperialist dream, repeatedly displayed unprecedented arrogance (he has closed newspapers and thrown more than 150,000 dissidents in prison), and expressed extreme ideas that have systematically dismantled the precious Kemalist heritage that once made Turkey the hope of a bridge between the Islamic world and the West? Didn’t Europe see that he inundated the world with slogans and antisemitic standpoints corroborated by his friendship with Hamas? That he supported former Egypt President Mohammad Morsi as leader of the Muslim Brotherhood — a man he praised being himself the greatest Muslim Brotherhood politician in office? Is it coincidence that Erdoğan allowed the passage from his country of thousands of Islamic fundamentalists in possession of whatever passport to boost ISIS, which many claim he supported through trade and furnished with weapons?

His hatred of the Kurds, identifying them all with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), is one of the signs of the dangerous character of the man who hasn’t hesitated — and won’t hesitate again now — to threaten Europe with opening Turkey’s borders and flooding Europe with millions of refugees.

The Kurds are a divided population, disillusioned and sometimes even struggling with each other, often split by multiple geographical and political divisions (Abdullah Ocalan was certainly a leader, but also a Communist and a terrorist). Still, they are also a persecuted, courageous, and special population with respect to their yearning to aim for equality between the sexes and to practice it as much as they can. Moreover, the Kurds are in favor of democracy and a positive relationship with the West and also Israel, whose citizens in these days — in opposition with US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of Syria and abandon its Kurdish allies — are demonstrating in their favor on the streets. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also lent words of support to the Kurds.

The Real Cost of Turkey's Kurdish Obsession

Once again, the Kurds preferred to remain "the other", rejecting pan-Turanism as an excuse for ethnic Apartheid at their expense. That made them targets for attacks by pan-Turkist and pan-Turanist thinkers who designated the Kurds as enemies. Pan-Turanists had replaced the word Ummah (Islamic community) with Khalq (People) to designate the nation. The Basmachi terrorist movement led by Enver Pasha, a hero of pan-Turkism and possibly an agent of British Intelligence, even denied the existence of a Kurdish people, inventing the term "Mountain Turks" instead.

Suspicion and hatred of Kurds led to more and more repression, to the point that by the mid-1960s even the use of the word "Kurd" in publications and/or public discourse had become an offense punishable by law. In the 1960s, a new movement, known as "Grey Wolves" (Bozkurtlar in Turkish), later led by Alparsalan Turkesh, was even advocating ethnic cleansing armed at moving large chunks of the Kurdish community out of their ancestral lands in eastern Anatolia to other parts of Asia Minor. One scheme discussed was to replace the expelled Kurds with "Turkic" Muslims, notably ethnic Albanians, from Yugoslavia where the Communist regime was also interested in ethnic cleansing against Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. The scheme died after it was met with strong opposition from a chunk of Turkish political elite in Ankara and Iran under the Shah.

In its current avatar as Islamic Republic, Iran has adopted a sympathetic posture vis-à-vis Erdogan's anti-Kurdish war. An editorial published by Fars News, an organ of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) last week, urges sympathy for Erdogan because of his "anti-Zionist speech at the UN General Assembly and defense of the suffering Palestinian nation". It praises Erdogan's "humanitarian efforts to break the siege of Gaza". More importantly, the IRGC editorial says Erdogan ignored Turkey's secular system by providing free land and a check of $1 million for the construction of "the huge Zayn al-Abedin Shiite mosque" in Istanbul.

Erdogan's efforts to ethnically cleanse the Syrian Kurds may not be justifiable, but one must appreciate the Turkish leader's "personal presence in the 500,000-person assembly of mourners for Imam Hussein in Istanbul."

In other words, one can commit genocide as long as one makes a speech in favor of Palestine and attends a Shi'ite chest-beating ceremony.

This is how some in our region see the world in this bizarre world of the 21st century.

Kenneth R. Timmerman: Trump didn’t sell out the Kurds by pulling out of Syria

The national media blasted President Trump’s withdrawal of 50 US military advisors from the Syrian border with Turkey as a “sellout,” a “betrayal” and a “huge strategic blunder.”

Let’s be clear: None of them truly care about the Kurds. Otherwise, they would have been sending correspondents and camera crews to Rojava, as the Kurds call northern Syria, on a regular basis.

Let’s also be clear about the goals of Turkish president Tayyip Recep Erdogan. While he attempted to stylize his military invasion of Rojava as a counterterrorism operation, few international observers bought into it. Why? Because there have been no terror attacks against Turkey from Syrian territory since the Syrian Kurds established their self-governing entity in 2012. None.

Erdogan is not even remotely interested in fighting ISIS, or in taking responsibility for the estimated 12,000 ISIS fighters currently in Kurdish custody at the al-Hol refugee camp. What actually happens to those ISIS prisoners, and the fate of Christian and Yazidi minorities, will be key measures of the agreement hammered out by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with Erdogan on Thursday.

The humanitarian disaster that unfolded this past week helped to paint Erdogan as notorious a mass murderer as Saddam Hussein. And it was to Erdogan’s legacy that the president appealed in his private, and now public, letter to the Turkish president as the crisis unfolded.

Erdogan’s real goal with this invasion was to smash Kurdish self-government, and those 50 US advisors were the last thing in his way.

But let’s be clear about US goals, too. Our advisors were not in northern Syria to defend a Kurdish government but to fight ISIS. The fight to smash the ISIS caliphate is over, and we won.

The threat of sanctions worked

Indeed, the piercing criticism from Capitol Hill, and in particular from the president's fellow Republicans in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, of his decision to abandon America's Kurdish partners in the struggle against the Islamic State both surprised and frustrated the American hegemon, exposing weaknesses in the decision-making process at the highest level of the US government. And so despite the fact that Trump quickly came to his senses, imposing economic sanctions on and issuing blatant threats against Ankara, it was Trump's decision to relay the message to Erdogan in a highly undiplomatic manner that made the tone and not the content of the message the focus of internal and international debate. This despite the fact that the sanctions did, in fact, serve their purpose, paving the way for the formulation of a ceasefire agreement that has thus far helped prevent the realization of the nightmare scenario of ethnic cleansing in the Kurdish stronghold critics of the withdrawal hoped to avoid.

Moreover, the fact that the withdrawal was met with widespread public and congressional protest raised questions regarding the 45th president's ability to lead a united Republican camp ahead of a presidential election in the face of challenges at home, in the form, for example of the ongoing efforts to impeach Trump. Yet on this particular front, it appears the threat posed to Trump's status as the undisputed leader of the Republicans is negligible at best.

As the electorate's decision will be based primarily on the assessment of the executive branch's function and achievements both domestically and abroad, the current Democratic frontrunners set to challenge Trump – Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) – don't appear to pose much of a threat. Warren appears to be particularly vulnerable to attack given her support for policies that would befit a Scandinavian welfare state and are light-years away from the firmly established American ethos of individualism and free enterprise.

The question then is whether the Oval Office will take advantage of the window of opportunity afforded to it by its weak Democratic opponent, and whether America's disengagement from the Syrian battlefield will create a chain reaction that will force not just its rival but its partners and allies to draw the necessary conclusions and reorganize in light of the administration's determination to withdraw further and further into the American continent.

Seth Frantzman: U.S. policy on Syria unravels as Turkish ceasefire doesn't hold

The ceasefire that the US claimed it had helped bring in on Thursday did not seem to hold the next day. Turkey viewed it as a “pause” in military operations and Turkish-backed groups on the ground didn’t seem to have to adhere to it. This leaves Syrian civilians, including many Kurds, in the crossfire in towns such as Sere Kaniye.

The unraveling of US policy on Syria is continuing almost two weeks after US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw US troops from the border with Turkey and enable a Turkish invasion that targeted US partners on the ground. These partners were part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group the US helped create in 2015 and which the US trained around 100,000 members of. However the US decided that its Turkish ally could then bomb and bombard the same group it was training. Now Washington, caught in this unclear policy, is struggling to put the toothpaste back in the tube. It has not succeeded, despite sending Vice-President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike going to Turkey.

By Saturday evidence was mounting that civilians had suffered “chemical burns” during the Turkish offensive into eastern Syria. The town of Sere Kaniye has been under siege for days and Turkey is asserting that it will “crush the heads” of anyone who resists its continued operations. The United States, which had been working with the SDF before opening the airspace to have them bombed and their families forced from their homes, was able to condemn an attack on a mosque in Afghanistan but could not bring itself to condemn that widespread attacks on civilian areas in northern Syria.

Among the mounting evidence of war crimes is the autopsy report for Hevrin Khalaf, a female politician. She was murdered by Turkish-backed groups operating in Syria, dragged by her hair until parts of her scalp were ripped out. Meanwhile US troops are still withdrawing from eastern Syria, an area they had been operating in against ISIS and had helped secure over the last five years. Civilians looking to the American flag for protection have seen it quietly vanish from outposts and vehicles that used to be a normal sight.

US forces withdraw from key base in northern Syria

US forces withdrew from their largest base in northern Syria on Sunday, a monitor said, as Turkey accused Kurdish forces of killing one of its soldiers in fighting that tested a fragile truce.

Ankara launched a cross-border attack against Syria’s Kurds on October 9 after the United States announced a military pullout from the north of the war-torn country.

A US-brokered ceasefire was announced late Thursday, giving Kurdish forces until Tuesday evening to withdraw from a “safe zone” Ankara wants to create along its southern frontier.

The Kurds have been a key ally to Washington in the US-backed fight against Islamic State group jihadists in Syria, but Turkey views them as “terrorists” linked to Kurdish militants on its own soil.

On Sunday, an AFP correspondent saw more than 70 US armored vehicles escorted by helicopters drive past the northern Syrian town of Tal Tamr carrying military equipment.

Turkey says Kurdish militia kills one soldier in northeast Syria despite ceasefire

One Turkish soldier was killed and another was wounded on Sunday after an attack by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in northeast Syria's Tel Abyad, the defense ministry said, despite a deal to pause military operations as militants withdraw from the area.

President Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Thursday in talks with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence a five-day pause in the offensive to allow time for the Kurdish fighters to withdraw from a "safe zone" Turkey aims to form in northeast Syria near its border.

On Saturday, the truce was holding along the border, with just a few Turkish military vehicles crossing, a Reuters reporter at the scene said. But Sunday's attack has underlined how fragile the agreement is.

IDF Prepares for 'Post-Rebel' Era on Israel's Border

With years of relative calm on Israel's northern border, now the IDF is closely monitoring the return of the Assad forces in the Golan Heights.

Pelosi, Abdullah II, Meet, But King Won’t Attack Trump’s Syria Pullout

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other senior Congressional Democrats – Foreign Affairs committee chairman Eliot Engel, Homeland Security Committee chairman Bennie Thompson, Intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff and Representative Mac Thornberry – as well as Mac Thornberry, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, on Saturday met with His Majesty King Abdullah, who was accompanied by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, in a polite clash of political interests: namely the king’s guests were adamant against President Donald trump’s pullout of US troops from Turkey’s border with Syria, and His Majesty refused to add his voice to their criticism.

For Instance, Pelosi issued a statement saying that the visit was at “a critical time for the security and stability of the region,” explaining that “with the deepening crisis in Syria after Turkey’s incursion, our delegation has engaged in vital discussions about the impact to regional stability, increased flow of refugees, and the dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran and Russia.”

On Thursday, Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called the Trump-Erdogan deal a “sham,” and argued it “seriously undermines the credibility of America’s foreign policy and sends a dangerous message to our allies and adversaries alike that our word cannot be trusted.”

But all the king’s Saturday press release said was that the American delegation “expressed keenness to hear the King’s perspective on regional and global developments, adding that they are pleased to be present in Jordan as the Kingdom marks 20 years since His Majesty assumed his constitutional powers.”

House Speaker Pelosi led an official visit today to the chief protector of our child's killer

This latest visit comes on the heels of another Congressional delegation visit just eleven days ago ["08-Oct-19: Again: Jordan's inscrutable US relationship"] In addition, Ms Pelosi has had several other meetings with the Jordanian king this year including in March [here] and in April [here]. Plenty of opportunity for a senior US political figure to express concern about justice thwarted, no?

We're going to make efforts to see what Ms Pelosi said to Jordan's absolute ruler today about why he demeans the extradition treaty his father King Hussein signed with the Clinton administration in 1995. We realize our track record in getting members of Congress to respond to questions like this is not very good. But we're certainly not giving up.

Meanwhile we're wondering:
- Do Congressional delegations to Jordan get briefed by the State Department before they take off?
- Do the State Department or the Justice Department inform Amman-bound Cogressional visitors about the years-long pursuit of Tamimi, a jihadist in the service of Hamas who is astoundingly a free-as-a-bird celebrity living openly, not in hiding, in Jordan's capital, and the presenter for five years (starting February 2012) of a pro-terrorism TV show broadcast from Amman throughout the world?
- Does Ms Pelosi know who Malki Roth was, and what was done to her by the Jordanian terrorist when she was 15 years old?
- Does she know who Ahlam Tamimi is, what she stands for and where she lives?
- Does she, and do the other members of her delegation, know why the FBI has her on its Most Wanted Terrorists list?
- Assuming the answer is no, will Attorney-General Barr and Ambassador Nathan Sales (the State Department's Counterterrorism Coordinator) please brief them now? And ensure future Congressional visitors to Jordan get the same briefing before they leave Washington?

And this. Why are you learning about the Congressional visit from the blog of a pair of bereaved parents seeking justice for the on-the-run killer of their child, and not from the mainstream news?

Israel-Jordan Mark 24th Anniversary of Peace Agreement

IDF, Shin Bet, police to work together to find settlers who attacked troops

The Israel Defense Forces will cooperate with the Shin Bet security service and Israel Police to track down the young Israeli men involved in Saturday night’s attack on IDF soldiers outside the Yitzhar settlement in the northern West Bank, the army said Sunday.

Also Sunday, a Border Police battalion was ordered to take up position near the Yitzhar settlement as a deterrent against further violent activities by residents of the outposts in the area, Israel’s Kan broadcaster reported. This could not be immediately confirmed by police.

The border guards made a similar deployment in April 2014, after a string of attacks and acts of vandalism from the Yitzhar settlement and surrounding outposts, including one case in which residents attacked an IDF encampment.

On Sunday morning, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi released a statement denouncing the previous night’s attack on IDF troops outside Yitzhar, saying it was “unconscionable” for Israeli settlers to attack the soldiers who are charged with defending them.

“Kohavi rejects and condemns the attack against IDF soldiers and views the criminal behavior that was seen in the past week in the Samaria region with the utmost severity. The chief of staff has ordered that all those involved be located and brought to justice. The chief of staff determines that it is unconscionable that IDF soldiers, who work day and night to protect settlers, should be attacked by those whom they defend,” the army said in a statement.

Masked settlers filmed hurling rocks, stealing olives of Palestinian farmers

Masked Israeli settlers were filmed hurling stones at Palestinian farmers and stealing their olives on Saturday in footage provided by the Yesh Din rights group.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said three farmers from the northern West Bank town of Burin were hospitalized after they were beaten with clubs by Israeli youth. They were released later Saturday afternoon.

After chasing the farmers from their plot, the over two dozen Israeli youth who reached Burin from the neighboring Givat Ronen outpost stole a sheet used for collecting olives, a large bag of olives, and personal belongings, a Yesh Din field worker reported.

After a group of Palestinian youth returned to the scene, clashes broke out between them and the settlers, with both sides hurling stones at one another.

Tens of thousands take to streets as Lebanon protests enter 4th day

Tens of thousands of Lebanese protesters of all ages gathered Sunday in major cities and towns nationwide, with each hour bringing hundreds more people to the streets for the largest anti-government protests yet in four days of demonstrations.

Protesters danced and sang in the streets, some waving Lebanese flags and chanting “the people want to bring down the regime.” In the morning, young men and women carried blue bags and cleaned the streets of the capital, Beirut, picking up trash left behind by the previous night’s protests.

The spontaneous mass demonstrations are Lebanon’s largest in five years, spreading beyond Beirut. They are building on long-simmering anger at a ruling class that has divvied up power among themselves and amassed wealth for decades but has done little to fix a crumbling economy and dilapidated infrastructure.

The unrest erupted after the government proposed new taxes, part of stringent austerity measures amid a growing economic crisis. The protests have brought people from across the sectarian and religious lines that define the country.

Corbyn as PM would be disastrous for UK-Israel relations

The recent Labour Party conference has done nothing to allay the fears of the Jewish community at the prospect of a Corbyn-led government. In fact, everyone with an interest in Britain’s future should be seriously concerned.

When Jeremy Corbyn was a backbench member of Parliament, he lobbied the British government and the European Union to “end the trade with Israel.” He repeatedly called on the world to “isolate Israel” and to impose “sanctions against Israel.” As a lifelong anti-Israel activist, Corbyn has led some of the largest anti-Israel organizations and demonstrations in the world, not to mention his referring to certain terrorist groups who seek Israel’s destruction as his “friends.”

Corbyn’s hostility toward Israel in the past shows that if he was to become prime minister in the future, there is a real threat to the United Kingdom’s relationship with the Jewish state.

The United Kingdom currently benefits from a close partnership with Israel. Any damage to this relationship deployed by a future Corbyn government would have devastating consequences.

The two countries have one of the closest intelligence-sharing operations in the world. The intelligence given to the United Kingdom by Israel has helped prevent numerous terror attacks in Britain and Europe, including the discovery of a Hezbollah explosives stockpile in London in 2015 that was discovered thanks to Israeli intelligence.

High-level security experts, such as retired British army officer Col. Richard Kemp, have warned that crucial intelligence-sharing and military cooperation will cease under a Corbyn-led Labour government.

Dame @LouiseEllman says @JeremyCorbyn is a danger to Jews. This is because he will set off an approach to us that is racist and install it in positions of power - as already in @UKLabour.

He won’t murder us like Hitler, just make Jewish life impossible.pic.twitter.com/Ajop3LW4Mg
— Rabbi Zvi Solomons 🕎 (@RabbiZvi) October 20, 2019

.@ArielElyseGold continues to show us all why she should delete her account https://t.co/2GXdl1HTzR
— (((David Lange))) (@Israellycool) October 20, 2019

New York Times Readers Offer Vicious Responses To Articles By Israelis

In at least two recent cases, articles in The New York Times by Israeli authors were greeted by responses from Times readers who insisted that a Jewish state should not exist.

The Times published a page of letters to the editor in response to my former Forward colleague Hillel Halkin’s review of Bari Weiss’s book about antisemitism. One of the letters comes from Wayne Price of the Bronx, who insists, “There should be no Jewish state, no Christian state, no Muslim state, no Hindu state, and not even an officially atheist state. If such a view leads to a rejection of Zionism, then so be it. Democratic anti-Zionism is not antisemitic.”

Why the Times considers this view worthy of print publication is a mystery to me, particularly because while no one is working to wipe Vatican City or Saudi Arabia off the map, the Jews of Israel are regularly the target of eliminationist rhetoric from a nation with a nuclear weapons program. Because Jews are not only members of a religion but also of a people, the letter-writer’s sentence is like saying there should be no French state, no Greek state, no Italian state. Mr. Price doesn’t explain how he’d assure the physical safety of Jews in the absence of a Jewish state. The historical record on that front isn’t exactly encouraging.

Israeli soldiers didn't simply "shoot dead" a Palestinian. @Reuters, your own story makes it clear he ran towards them armed with a knife in an attempted attack. So why the #HeadlineFail? https://t.co/4Djp2VjFuz pic.twitter.com/NqFAkSWUdI
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 20, 2019

No @Telegraph @NickSquires1, Israel's relations with other states are directed from Jerusalem, its capital city, not Tel Aviv. Please correct the error. https://t.co/JPfZKTgskk pic.twitter.com/bQyMgT6yKi
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 20, 2019

Bauhaus exhibition in Germany blames ‘Zionists’ with Nazi cooperation

When the Nazis closed down the Bauhaus school they could not have foreseen it would have a huge impact on the first Hebrew city, Tel Aviv, so why did the curators of a new exhibition about Bauhaus claim ‘Zionists’ worked with Nazis?

Buhaus was a modernist approach to modern design and living that sought to place the everyday man and his needs at the center, preferring a clean and simple style. The meaning of the name is ‘Builders Hut’ and it was in sharp contrast with both previous German architecture that favored elaborate details and the Nazi view of massive architecture that, as Albert Speer said, was designed with the image of how it would look after a thousand years in mind.

Due to the involvement of Jewish-German people in the school’s work, some of the people behind it fled to pre-state Israel from the Nazis. Many of the early houses in Tel Aviv, known today as ‘The White City,’ were designed by them or their students.

Celebrating 100 years to the foundation of the Bauhaus movement, the city of Dessau opened the Bauhaus Museum in 2019 with an exhibition titled ‘The Transfer Agreement.”

Curated by Hila Cohen-Schneiderman and created in cooperation with the White City Center, the exhibition deals with the Haavara Agreement that enabled 50,000 German Jews to reach pre-state Israel in exchange of 150 mil Reichsmarks.

Writing about the exhibition, Yisrael Hayom claims artist Jonathan Touitou used notes from the 2007 book 'Overcoming Zionism' by the late US scholar Joel Kovel. In the exhibition, Touitou suggests ‘Right leaning Zionists’ are responsible to the 1929 Arab riots, that Jewish labor to develop agriculture allegedly poisoned the ground because of chemical fertilizers, and that the Kibbutz movement did not accept Arab members.

Antisemitic Graffiti Spray-Painted on Project Commemorating Jewish Life in Lithuania

Antisemitic graffiti was discovered in Vilnius, Lithuania, last week on a project depicting Jewish life before World War II.

The project Walls That Remember is a series of murals on the walls of Vilnius’ former Jewish quarter that is based on photographs of ordinary people that lived in the Jewish community prior to World War II.

The project last Saturday posted on its Facebook page a photo of the graffiti, which was a Jewish Star of David crossed out, along with the message, “The people who did this must be found and held accountable for this hate crime. We believe Lithuania is a country that does not tolerate hatred. We will seek this case to be investigated by the Lithuanian police.”

The Lithuanian Jewish Community said on its website that the graffiti “is the latest in a series of acts of antisemitic vandalism of Jewish sites and statues in Vilnius and Lithuania.”

Former student arrested over swastika graffiti at California school

A former student of a San Francisco-area high school was arrested in connection with the painting of graffiti including swastikas on the walls of the school building.

Logan Stone, 20, who attended Burlingame High School, was taken into police custody on Thursday afternoon after police received a warrant to search his home, according to the Burlingame Police Department, J. The Jewish Journal of Northern California reported.

He will be charged with felony vandalism and hate crimes, according to the report.

The graffiti, painted in 10 different places on the building in early September hours before the school’s back-to-school night, was described by the school principal as “anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist.”

US Army Chooses Israeli System to Protect the Lives of Tank Crews

In recent days, Israeli defense corporation Rafael made a dramatic announcement, stating that it delivered on time the first batch of Trophy Active Protection System to the US Army.

Trophy, a system that was first deployed by the Israel Defense Forces in 2011 and which has intercepted many threats fired at Israeli armored vehicles, will be eventually be installed on-board four American M1 main battle tank brigades, for both the US Army and Marine Corps.

The fact that the world’s most powerful military chose an Israeli active protection system to protect the lives of its tank crews is historic.

In Israel, Trophy is installed onboard Mk3 and Mk4 Merkava tanks, and onboard the advanced Namer armored personnel vehicle. It has made many successful combat interceptions of anti-armor missiles and rockets, particularly those fired by Gazan terror factions, with no injuries to Israeli personnel or damage to platforms.

Trophy’s radar is made by Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary, Elta.

Netta is a big hit in China

Netta Barzilai, the 2018 Eurovision winner from Israel, was welcomed with open arms in China, where she performed her hit, “Nana Banana” before an audience of 500 million on Chinese television.

She performed on the show with Naomi Wang, the singer who has been dubbed “China’s Beyoncé.” Wang flaunts her tanned, freckled skin, which challenges the Chinese stereotype of the porcelain-skinned demure pop princess, just as Netta’s fuller figure is at odds with the image of the skinny singers who usually top the charts.

Netta, who triumphed at Eurovision in 2018 with, “Toy,” a defiant anthem of female empowerment, also performed at the 2019 contest and has had a successful career in Israel and abroad since her win. Her video for “Toy” received more than 20 million views even before she performed it on Eurovision.

The China performance is just the latest example of how her fame has spread all over the world, far beyond Europe and the Middle East. Recently, the postal service of Chad issued stamps that pay tribute to Eurovision featuring two images of Netta. Chad recently renewed diplomatic relations with Israel.

It has also been reported that Netta will have a role in a new Netflix movie about Eurovision starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.

Israel to Send Biggest Delegation Ever to 2020 Olympics

Israel is set to send to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo its largest delegation of athletes ever.

An estimated 85 athletes will be competing in 18 sports on behalf of the Jewish state. Vered Buskila, vice president of the Olympic Committee of Israel, told the news site NoCamels, “This is a crazy number by Israeli standards. That’s something that we never thought could happen in the near future.”

Buskila explained that more athletes have yet to qualify including those in sports like track & field and swimming.

This year Israel’s baseball team made it to the Olympics for the first time in its history after beating South Africa 11-1 in a qualifying tournament, which added another 24 athletes to the Israeli delegation.

“This is the ultimate dream come true,” said Peter Kurz, Israel Association of Baseball president and general manager of Team Israel, in a statement on the IAB website. “It was almost too impossible to imagine but with the astounding performances of a dedicated team that always believed in itself.”

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”
~ MLK Jr.

In the largest military volunteering effort in Israeli history, these IDF cadets spent the day volunteering in Soroka hospital. pic.twitter.com/4gyMoVkZNc
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 20, 2019

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